Postoperative Pain Relief With Ultrasound-Guided Dorsal Sacral Foramen Block for Foot and Ankle Surgeries

Abstract

This case series describes the use of ultrasound (US)-guided dorsal sacral foraminal block (DSFB) for providing postoperative analgesia in six patients who underwent foot and ankle surgeries under spinal anesthesia. Postoperatively, all of them received a US-guided DSFB at the level of the brim of the second sacral foramina (SF2). Needle placements were confirmed with fluoroscopic (FL) images and injected radiocontrast defined the diffusion with a postoperative CT scan. The images obtained depicted ipsilateral spread in the sacral epidural space, sacral nerve roots, and plexus. The US-guided DSFB could be effectively used as an alternative method for postoperative pain relief after foot and ankle surgery.

Tarlov cyst with self-healing cauda equina syndrome following combined spinal-epidural anesthesia: a case report

“…but only one research related to sacral ultrasound was published [15]. As research progresses, we believe that an ultrasound atlas of the spinal canal, which is essential to the growth of an anesthesiologist and necessary for the development of precision anesthesia, will be available in the near future.…”

Tarlov cyst with self-healing cauda equina syndrome following combined spinal-epidural anesthesia: a case report

“…However, when we performed sacral ultrasound on the patient to find Tarlov cyst at the S1 level using Doppler ultrasound, we could not discover anything through the L5/S1 intervertebral space or S1 posterior sacral foramina. Recent studies show that lumbar ultrasound has been relatively well established and applied to spinal anesthesia [ 14 ], but only one research related to sacral ultrasound was published [ 15 ]. As research progresses, we believe that an ultrasound atlas of the spinal canal, which is essential to the growth of an anesthesiologist and necessary for the development of precision anesthesia, will be available in the near future.…”